The Small Woodland

Above: One value of woodlands is that they add to the enjoyment of farm life.

CASH CROPS FROM SMALL FORESTS

R. E. MCARDLE.

A FARMER in Louisiana was offered $500 for all the timber in his wood lot. To him it seemed a good price, and he needed the money. But after consultation with his county agricultural agent the farmer had a forester examine the wood lot. As a result of this examination, he decided not to sell all of the timber in the tract. But, instead, with the help of the forester, the farmer made thinnings to release the crowded trees for faster growth, and he made an improvement cut to get rid of defective trees and weed species that were taking up space needed by high-value species. In that way he sold about a third of his timber, and he got $1,700 for it. Moreover, 5 years hence he will be able to make another sale. If present plans are carried out, the wood lot will become more and more productive and bring him a regular income from sale of products.

An Oregon farmer was offered $1,500 for his timber provided no restrictions were imposed on cutting all trees the operator wanted to take. On advice of a forester, the owner had the timber cruised and marked for a partial cut. As a result he obtained $7,500, and still has an excellent forest, which will soon produce enough wood for another cut.

In Michigan, the owner of a small stand of oak thought it had no value until he was offered $800 for all the timber on the tract. After analyzing his opportunities, he sold a small part of the timber for $950, and at the same time put his forest into condition to yield another income in a few years.

A small woodland in Missouri has furnished the extra cash needed to put one of the owner's daughters through the State university; another daughter is in the university now, and four boys are in line for similar education.

In Kentucky, a landowner was offered $7,000 for 310 trees selected by the buyer. On advice of a forester, however, only 199 trees were marked as mature and ready for harvest. Bids were invited and those 199 trees were sold for $12,600. Equally important was the fact that adequate growing stock of the more valuable species, properly spaced to obtain maximum growth, was left on the land with an eye to future values.

In South Carolina, the owner of a farm woodland was tempted to sell the entire tract for $2,500. With a forester's help, he sold part of the timber for $7,460 and has half of his trees, the best ones for future growth, still at work on the land growing more wood for another harvest.

These few examples illustrate how a small but ever-increasing number of farmers and other owners of small woodlands are obtaining cash crops.

Most owners of small forest tracts do not usually think of these properties as having possibilities for a regular income; to them, the trees in their woodlands might have no particular value except possibly for fuel wood and fence posts. An offer of a few hundred dollars for all the timber in a small tract probably would strike most such owners as an unexpected bit of good fortune. Yet a small forest, even one of only 50 or 60 acres, can be made to yield its owner good financial returns at regular intervals of 5 or 10 years, sometimes more frequently.

The key to forest profits is, of course, good forest management. Good management happily is within the reach of most owners of small forest properties. Many, however, will need technical assistance in getting started in profitable woodland management because few owners of small forests now earn their living, or even a small part of it, solely by growing timber. Timber production, if engaged in at all, is definitely a side issue to farming, teaching school, selling hardware, banking, or some other full-time job. Timber growing to the great majority of small-forest owners is a new business.

The need for technical help is further emphasized by the unfortunate fact that far too many forest properties have been allowed to deteriorate. Sometimes the cream has been skimmed from the forest crop so often that there are left only the less desirable species, the defective trees and those too small to yield a salable product. Technical knowledge is required to turn such deteriorated properties into fast-growing forests well stocked with high-value trees. Experience with other crops is, of course, helpful in forest management. But many aspects of timber production and harvesting and marketing are entirely different from those of other crops.

In the past 5 or 6 years substantial although still far from adequate progress has been made in providing small-forest owners with technical assistance in woodland management. Public agencies furnish most of the assistance now available. This publicly sponsored forestry assistance is handled by State agencies in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture. It is intended for small-forest owners who plan to do their own forestry work and includes two closely related but distinct types of assistance: Education in the techniques of forest management and marketing and in-the-woods technical advice and service to individual forest owners.

State forestry departments and extension services, the Federal Government, and a number of private organizations sponsor educational programs that direct attention to the prominent part small forests have in the Nation's wood supply and to the profitableness of timber as a cash crop. Valuable as mass educational activity of this kind may be, it cannot, of course, furnish detailed and specific instruction in the techniques of woodland management. Such instruction, however, is included in the cooperative Federal-State program. This important aspect of education is under the immediate supervision of 67 State extension foresters, who work through the county agricultural agents in 45 States. Instruction in management of woodlands is thus coordinated with existing public educational facilities and with other nonresident teaching in agriculture.